


the knight before christmas

by lazyfish



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Mackelena are Flint's Parents, Past Daisy Johnson/Miles Lydon, Romantic Comedy, background mackelena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28288773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyfish/pseuds/lazyfish
Summary: Daniel Sousa is a medieval knight; Daisy Johnson is a high school science teacher. When he travels seven hundred years into the future, she’s the one he keeps running into. He has an unknown quest hanging over his head and she’s celebrating her first Christmas as an orphan, but together they find some joy in the season - and maybe a little Christmas magic, too.A Knight Before Christmas AU.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 98
Kudos: 69
Collections: Agents of SHIELD Secret Santa 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ellsey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellsey/gifts).



_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 17th, 2019** _

“Have a happy holiday, everyone!” Daisy called after her students. No one was listening, of course - winter break was starting, and her students had better things to do than listen to her well-wishes. Daisy kept her eyes on the door to make sure no one was accidentally trampled, and she was surprised to see not everyone was rushing for the exit.

“Yes, Jemma?” Daisy asked as the girl continued to hover, not quite approaching her teacher’s desk but certainly not making to leave.

“I was wondering if we could talk about my midterm, Ms. Johnson?” Jemma fidgeted with the zipper on her coat.

“Are you sure that can’t wait until after break, Jemma?” Daisy asked gently. She had been slightly concerned to see her star student had barely scraped a C on her midterm exam, but Daisy had assumed it had something to do with the stress of the holidays and wasn’t going to push the matter.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to enjoy the break much,” Jemma said, her lower lip beginning to tremble.

“What happened?”

“Milton broke up with me.” Jemma’s voice was barely short of a whimper. “He did it right before we took our exam and I guess I was just so distracted I didn’t think things through, and it’s going to ruin my perfect GPA, and I’m never going to get into a good college, and -”

“Jemma,” Daisy interrupted. “Your midterm is worth ten percent of your grade, but just because you didn’t do as well as you wanted doesn’t mean that you can’t still pull an A in the class.” Daisy took a deep breath. “And Jemma? No boy is _ever_ worth your future, okay?” The worst part about teaching high school was seeing her students get so caught up in things that eventually wouldn’t matter in the end - one bad test grade, one shitty breakup, one off day. She had been through high school, so of course she knew that it _felt_ important in the moment, but Jemma was a smart kid and Daisy didn’t want her to think one breakup was going to spiral into something unfixable.

Then again, not only high schoolers felt that way. Daisy sighed to herself and tried not to think about her own disastrous life spiral, precipitated by her break up with one Miles Lydon. Boys were dumb.

“Thanks, Ms. Johnson,” Jemma said, sniffling.

“How about this. You go home and have a _great_ winter break, and when you get back to school we can talk about an extra credit assignment so you can boost your grade a little?” Hopefully then Jemma wouldn’t spend her whole break stressing about her schoolwork. She could use the time to mend her broken heart instead.

“Okay.” Jemma finally stopped fiddling with her zipper, instead pulling it all the way up to her chin. “Have a good break, Ms. Johnson!”

“You too, Jemma.”

Jemma departed the classroom, leaving Daisy alone at her desk. She took a deep breath, finally allowing herself to relax. Things at school had been going non-stop since they returned from Thanksgiving break, and she hadn’t even had a weekend to herself. That had been helpful in distracting her from her breakup from Miles, but not much good at keeping her stress levels manageable. And, as much as she hated to admit it, being distracted from a breakup was not the same thing as getting over a breakup - though at least now her heart didn’t hurt every time she heard Miles’s name.

Daisy was interrupted from her thoughts by her phone ringing. _Damnit_. She had probably forgotten to put it on silent after lunch again. At least no one had called her while she was teaching.

“Hi, Elena,” Daisy said, shoving her phone between her chin and her shoulder as she began throwing the last of her things into her purse. “What’s up?”

“Hey, Daisy.” Elena sounded flustered, which was… saying something. It took a lot to faze Daisy’s best friend. She was practically inhuman with everything she could juggle, and this sounded like an emergency. “I just got swamped at the boutique with Christmas shoppers, Mack’s flight got cancelled, and I promised Flint he could go to the Christmas carnival on opening night, and I was wondering -”

“Say no more,” Daisy said, grabbing her keys off her desk. “I’ll pick him up from school and take him after we get some dinner.”

“I owe you.”

“It’s not a problem, promise.” Daisy loved her godson more than basically anything in life, and she needed an excuse to go to the Christmas carnival anyways. She and Miles had gone every year for the three years they had been dating, and Daisy had _almost_ convinced herself he was going to use it as an opportunity to propose that year.

Instead he was probably bringing his new girlfriend, because he was a douchecanoe.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll meet you there after close.”

“See you then, babe.” She hung up the phone in marginally better spirits than before. She hadn’t wanted to go to the Christmas carnival alone, but the hot cocoa was to _die_ for. Flint was going to be so excited when she picked him up from school, and together they would have the best day _ever_.

\---

_**Bethlehem, England - December 17th, 1344** _

“Onwards!” 

The leader of the band of knights urged his horse from a walk into a trot, and then a lope, taking with him a scraggly group of a half-dozen or so. Daniel shook his head as he watched them ride off. The queen’s competition could only have one winner, but no one had pieced together that hunting in a group wasn’t the best idea.

He took off in the opposite direction from the rowdy band, keeping his steed’s pace sedate. He tended to jostle if his horse, Jack, got above a slow lope, and Daniel didn’t want to fall off when he was alone in the forest.

The trails were surprisingly clear given the recent snows they’d had, save for one particularly large snowdrift. Daniel clicked his tongue until Jack plowed through, shaking his head and whinnying softly at the cold dampness of the snow. Daniel patted the side of the horse’s neck gently in apology. It was a necessary evil if they were to find the royal falcon that had swooped off with a token of Queen Margaret’s favor. Birds paid no heed to obstacles on the ground, and so neither should they.

Daniel turned his face up to the sky. He knew it was a futile hope to see the falcon flying overhead, but it would have been a nice change of pace, to have some good luck for once. There was nothing but sleet-gray clouds above him, though, and he let out a soft sigh, his breath crystallizing in the December air. 

Jack stopped suddenly and Daniel jerked in his seat, grabbing onto the saddle horn for purchase. On the path in front of them a woman stoof, huddled under a single threadbare cloak. She must’ve been freezing!

“Milady.” Daniel dismounted from the horse, already pulling at the ties of his outer cloak to loosen it. “Are you lost?” He couldn’t imagine another reason someone would be so far into the forest in the middle of one of the bitterest winters in recent memory. 

“Aye, Sir…?”

“Daniel,” he answered, finally managing to unloop the ties of his cloak. He draped it around the woman’s shoulders gently, careful not to disturb the curtains of dark hair that fell around her shoulders as he did so. “May I offer you an escort back to the castle, milady? It is too cold for anyone to be out here alone.”

“You may.” The woman tipped her face back up at him, her deep brown eyes momentarily sparking blue and green. Daniel startled but didn’t pull away - he had promised his kindness and a trick of the light was no reason to revoke it. 

“And you may also have this, Daniel Sousa.” She withdrew her hand from the folds of her cloak, revealing an amulet of sterling silver. In its center sparkled fragments of a broken gemstone, or perhaps two different gems - blue and green, like the sky and fields on a summer’s day.

“I cannot accept such a gift, milady.” Even if the center gems were cracked, Daniel could tell the jewelry was worth a pretty penny. It was undoubtedly the most expensive thing the woman owned, if she was wandering alone in the forest, and Daniel didn’t do what he did for praise; he did it because it was a knight’s duty to the right thing, no matter the cost to his person.

“Oh, but you must,” she said, pressing the amulet into his hands and curling his fingers around it. She dropped her head again, the hood of her cloak casting her face back into shadow. “It will lead you to your quest.”

“I’m not sure I understand, I -” Daniel’s quest had already been set, and he had failed - it was why he would never be a true knight. There was no reason he should be granted a second quest, not when men better than him had accepted their failure and continued to serve their queen as best as they could even with the shame of being a lesser knight on their shoulders.

“You do not need to understand,” the woman interrupted him. “Just have faith that things will turn out right.”

Daniel opened his mouth to protest again, but an eerie blue-green light began to seep through the cracks in his fingers. Daniel opened his palm to see the amulet in it was glowing, the shards of gemstones shining like the sun.

“Why have you given me this?” He looked up to meet the old woman’s eyes but she wasn’t there. The cloak he had given her lay in a heap in the snow, like it had never been around her shoulders at all. Daniel blinked hard, looking around in confusion. There was the path he and Jack had made in the snow, but where were the old woman’s footprints? The amulet in his palm felt solid and warm, like it had been resting against someone’s skin before it had come to be in his hand, and the light coming from it certainly had to be real, but -

There was a tug in the base of Daniel’s stomach as the light engulfed him. For a moment it was all he could see - and then he plunged into darkness so deep he didn’t know which way was up or down. Daniel fought to keep his balance but lost the battle quickly, tumbling to the ground.

It wasn’t hard earth covered in soft snow that he fell onto, though. The darkness faded but didn’t recede entirely. When Daniel peered up at the sky, there were no tree branches obscuring his vision - and the stars looked oddly dim and faraway, like there was a veil over them. 

How had he gone from midday to night? Why were the stars overhead not in the shapes he remembered? And what was the hard, black material under his hands? Daniel had many questions and not many answers. He took a deep breath and pushed himself to sitting. An odd stick, painted white and red, was stuck into the ground near him and Daniel used it to pull himself to standing, hissing slightly as his bad leg gave a groan of pain. His armor was still intact, but that meant little when the injury to his leg was prone to stiffness regardless of circumstances.

The old woman had said this was a part of his quest - so perhaps he ought to start walking.

Daniel only managed three steps before a rumbling noise overhead caught his attention. He squinted as something akin to bright, blinking stars in hues he had never seen before soared across the sky, attached to… a metal bird? 

“Oh, shit, I’m so sorry!”

Daniel reeled backwards but, thankfully, managed to catch himself on his good leg before he could tumble to the ground.

“My apologies, milady, I should have been watching where I was going,” he said to the woman who had just run into him. There was a sweet-smelling liquid splashed across his chest, and Daniel sniffed it curious before he nodded to the young man at her side. “Milord.” The youth grinned at him and waved before the pair departed in the direction Daniel had come from, leaving him alone to his quest.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 17th, 2019** _

The night had actually turned out way better than Daisy had expected. She got to have dinner with Flint and take him to the Christmas carnival, which had been awesome. She’d gotten the intel on what Flint really wanted for Christmas when he’d talked to Santa Claus there, which meant she knew the beginner geologist kit wrapped beneath her Christmas tree was sure to be a hit. They’d gotten the best hot cocoa ever - and Daisy had promptly spilled it all over some dude dressed as a knight. Daisy hadn’t realized the Christmas carnival had the budget to hire an actor, but it was pretty neat.

What _wasn’t_ neat was how much the snow had picked up while she’d been saying goodnight to Elena and Flint. Daisy had learned to drive in the snow when she’d moved to Wisconsin but there was a difference between driving in snow and driving in a veritable blizzard. She’d put on her hazards and was going far beneath the speed limit but even then she wasn’t entirely confident she was safe.

Daisy leaned forward, squinting through the blur of snow in the air. She had thought she had seen something moving, but -

The car jerked and Daisy slammed on the brakes, nearly giving herself a concussion on her steering wheel when she pitched forward.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Daisy muttered under her breath as she killed the engine and opened the door. Whatever she had hit was _solid_ and she was scared to figure out what it was.

“Oh, _shit_ ,” she repeated when she saw what - or rather, who - was standing in front of her car. It was a _person_ , for one thing - and for another he was dressed in armor that she recognized from the Christmas carnival. This was the knight dude she had spilled her hot chocolate all over, and now she had hit him with her car!

“Are you okay?” Daisy called, flipping up the hood of her jacket and ducking her head against the wind.

“Fear not, fair lady! I am well!” He answered, sweeping into… a bow?

“I am so, _so_ sorry,” Daisy said as she shuffled closer. “Seriously, are you alright? Do you need me to take you somewhere? You really shouldn’t be walking in this mess.”

“If you would be so kind, may you point me to the castle?” the man asked.

“The… the White Castle?” Daisy asked, furrowing her brow. Her first priority after being hit by a car wouldn’t be getting a subpar burger, but if that was what the man wanted she couldn’t really say no, could she?

“No, I believe Queen Margaret’s castle is a rather gray-ish color.”

“Um. I’m going to call someone real quick, okay?” Daisy asked. She hadn’t ever heard of a Queen Margaret, and even though the guy insisted he was okay, Daisy was almost sure he had a concussion. Phil would know what to do.

She called the town’s police number and five minutes later a patrol car showed up at the scene, blue and red lights coloring the snow. Daisy had managed to get a name out of the dude - Daniel Sousa, knight of Queen Margaret’s court, apparently - but everything else he was saying sounded like absolute nonsense. It seemed like when she’d hit him he’d somehow _become_ his character, and forgotten he had a life outside of his work. 

“What’s up, Daisy?” Phil asked as he ducked out of the squad car.

“Phil,” she greeted gratefully. “I didn’t see him in the snow, and I hit him, and now,” she lowered her voice conspiratorially, “it seems this guy thinks he’s a knight. I think he might have a concussion.”

Phil grimaced, and Daisy joined him. Of course Phil knew she hadn’t _meant_ to hit the guy, but if he decided to press charges the week leading up to Christmas wouldn’t be fun for anyone involved, with all the paperwork that came with litigation.

“Sir,” Phil said, approaching the knight, who was staring up at the neon sign above the diner they were parked beside. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Sir Daniel Sousa!” the man responded promptly. “And may I have yours, kind fellow?”

“Phil Coulson.” He fished his badge out of his jacket and Daisy watched, curious as to what Daniel’s response would be. Daniel didn’t seem to even register the badge, let alone respond to it. “You alright? It seems like you took quite the bump to the head.”

“As I have told the good lady, I am quite alright. I’ve suffered far worse tumbles from my steed.” 

Phil turned to look at Daisy, and in the blue and red glow from his patrol car’s lights, Daisy could tell he was _not_ impressed with Daniel’s reasoning for why he didn’t need any sort of medical assistance.

“Alright, Daniel. Would you mind getting in the back of my… steed… with me?” Phil asked, gesturing his head towards his patrol car. Daniel, surprisingly, didn’t object, and Phil shut the door when Daniel was situated in the back seat.

“I’ll take him to the hospital. If he doesn’t remember where he lived by the time we’re done he can stay at the station, and tomorrow I’ll start putting out some feelers.” Phil raked a hand through his thinning gray hair. “I’ll talk to him about what he wants to do about you, too.”

“Thanks, Phil. Sorry to make so much work,” Daisy sighed. “And if he doesn’t have a place to stay, he can crash in my guest house.”

Phil’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“He can’t even remember what year it is, you really think he’s going to be able to murder me?” Daisy shook her head. “Besides, I’ll just lock the main house doors or something. He can keep to himself and I can sleep easy.”

“If you’re really sure…” Phil still didn’t look convinced. “I’ll check in on you both tomorrow morning, if that’s the way things go.”

“Sure,” Daisy said, sticking her hands back into the pockets of her jacket. “I’ll meet you at the hospital, okay?”

Phil nodded, then turned back to his car. Daniel still looked perfectly content to be sitting alone in the back seat.

Daisy went to return to her own car when she noticed something glowing faintly in the snow. She squinted before kneeling down to get a closer look. Sat in the snow was a necklace with a pendant on the chain. It looked like whatever had been inside the pendant had broken, leaving behind just pieces of blue and green gemstone. Daisy pawed around in the snow for a few seconds to see if she could recover any of the rest of the broken pieces, but there were none. Maybe it had already been broken before? She sure hoped so - it was bad enough she had probably given Daniel a concussion. It would’ve been a shame if she ruined his necklace, too.

\---

Daniel had to admit, wherever and whenever he had gone was a magical place indeed. Phil Coulson’s steed traveled at a pace he had never before encountered, the building he had been taken to was warm inside even though it was the dead of winter, and the number of strange _things_ around him that apparently told the physicians all manner of information about him was baffling. They had scoffed at him when he insisted the year was 1344, and informed him it was in fact 2019. 

The future was a strange place, Daniel thought - but stranger things than travel through time had happened in the land that he came from, and Daniel knew it was not his place to judge the world’s magic.

He was led out of the bright white room they had contained him in and found Sir Phil and the young lady who had first hit him with her steed and then apologized profusely for it.

“Well, Daniel, it looks like nothing’s wrong with your head,” Phil said. “Daisy’s offered to take you in for the night, so you’ll be going home with her.”

“That’s me,” the woman said, raising her hand and stepping forward next to Phil. “I realized I didn’t exactly introduce myself properly, since I ran over you and all.” She stuck out her hand, and Daniel took it in his, bowing and placing a kiss on the back of it. Daisy and Phil both gave him a peculiar look as he straightened. Ah. Perhaps that was another one of the customs of this place he did not understand.

“My thanks, Lady Daisy.” Daniel let go of her hand.

“It’s the least I could do,” she said, sticking her hands in her pockets. “Oh!” Daisy pulled one hand out, opening it to him to reveal the amulet in her palm. “Is this yours? I found it in the snow.”

Daniel’s hand immediately went to his belt where he had tied the amulet. His knot must have come loose in the commotion earlier.

“Yes,” he said, reaching to take the amulet in his hand. This was the only way he would be able to return to his home - that much he was sure of, despite the riddles the old woman had spoken. “It is very precious to me.”

“I’m so sorry that I broke it, I -”

“You did not break it,” Daniel interrupted. “It was already shattered when it came into my possession. But still, it is precious to me.” The old woman seemed to have thought Daniel had a quest here, in this strange land with strange practices and even stranger knowledge. He did not know what that quest could be - not when all Daniel had succeeded in so far was confusing those around him and himself. He didn’t want to stay here, as strange and fascinating as it was. Quest or not, he wanted to return home to his court and his queen. Perhaps he had no family left, nor many friends who loved him, but in Queen Margaret’s court he had a purpose and a calling - one he would not abandon even in times of hardship. That had been the oath he swore to her, and the oath he would keep.

“Alright,” Daisy said, seeming somewhat confused. “Come on, let’s get going. I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

Daniel didn’t ask after her plans - it seemed rude when she was already showing him so much hospitality. They bid their farewells to Phil, and Daniel followed Daisy out of the hospital and to her steed. He placed himself in the back, as he had been in Phil’s car, and turned the amulet over in his hand as if looking at it long enough would somehow unveil all its secrets. The quest and the amulet both just seemed to be distractions, and they were keeping him from returning to the place where he belonged.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 17th, 2019** _

Daisy finally pulled up the driveway to her house, several hours later than she thought. She and Daniel had driven past the spot where she’d hit him, but he didn’t seem to recognize it. Daisy bit her lip; hopefully Daniel would be okay in the guest house alone. Even if the doctors said everything looked fine on his MRI, Daisy wasn’t convinced; how could someone forget so much and be _fine_?

“The guest house is around back,” she explained as she opened the door for Daniel. The child proof locks in the backseat seemed to have confounded him - not that Daisy blamed him. Those things always seemed to stick much more than they needed to.

Sousa followed her around the side of the house and Daisy sighed internally as she began wading through the snow. She didn’t normally bother with shovelling the path to the guest house, since people almost never used it, a choice she was regretting now. There was only a few inches of snow on the ground, but Daisy was more concerned with -

 _Ice_.

She was halfway to the ground before she even realized she had slipped. Daisy felt a strong, warm hand wrap around her upper arm and it was only after a split-second of shock that Daisy realized _Daniel_ was the one who was keeping her from smashing her face into the icy, slushy, snowy concrete. He tugged her upwards, and…

Daniel fell, his right leg buckling underneath him and sending him crashing to the ground. Daisy still hadn’t regained her own balance, which meant she collapsed down with him, his hand still on her arm. It took Daisy a moment to blink away the daze and realize that not only had she fallen again, she had fallen _on top of him_. Great. For a moment she just laid there, too shellshocked to do anything but stare into his surprisingly deep brown eyes. His breath fogged up the frosty air between them, warm and oddly good-smelling for a guy who claimed he was from a time before proper dental hygiene.

Daisy regathered her wits and scrambled off Daniel as quickly as she dared - which wasn’t quickly at all, considering they were still surrounded by snow and ice. Daisy managed to get back on her feet and offered Daniel her hand, careful to brace herself fully before accepting any of his weight.

“My apologies, Lady Daisy,” he murmured, not meeting her gaze even as he stood.

“No, dude, it’s fine,” she said, brushing off his concern. “Is your leg alright?” She had been so worried about Daniel’s possible head injury she hadn’t even thought to ask about the rest of him, which made her feel like a total jerk.

“It is fine.” He sighed deeply. “The injury is an old one and the doctors said there is probably nothing more to be done for me. They suggested I use a… cane?”

“Do you not know what a cane is?” Daisy frowned.

“The word is unfamiliar. I believe I understand the concept. It’s a stick used to walk?”

“Basically, yeah,” Daisy said. “I might have an old one in the closet somewhere. My dad needed one for a while, and he was about your size, so it would probably work okay for you.” She beckoned him to continue along the path with her, this time more careful to watch her step. She didn’t want a repeat of them both following, especially not knowing that Daniel would walk better with a cane.

Daisy opened the door to the guest house and flipped on the lights, frowning when they turned off a moment later. She reached back for the lightswitch - only to find Daniel's hand already there.

Oh. He had flipped the switch. Daisy withdrew her hand gingerly, not sure of what Daniel would make of the situation after she had already invaded his personal space in the last ten minutes.

“I did not realize that was how you illuminated these places,” he said, flicking it back upwards. He seemed like he was ready to turn the lights off again, and Daisy beckoned him away if only to keep the bulbs from blowing out by being turned on and off too much.

“This place is pretty small, but I think it’s cozy,” Daisy said as she led Daniel into the main room of the house. There was a hearth she couldn’t remember ever lighting, a plush sofa, and a large TV whose remote was… somewhere.

“Could you lead me to the bath chamber?” Daniel asked. “I am afraid I am a bit smelly.”

Daisy hadn’t noticed any sort of smell, but it did seem like a good call to let the guy who claimed he was from the fourteenth century take a bath. When had the bubonic plague started? God, if she accidentally got the plague because of this, she was going to be so pissed.

“Right this way.” Daisy led him down the singular hallway in the house, past the bedroom and into the bathroom. It wasn’t much, but it did have both a shower and a tub - and, of course, a toilet. “I’m going to see if I can dig up some of my ex’s old things so you have something clean to change into, okay?” 

“Thank you, Lady Daisy. Your hospitality is much appreciated.” Daniel smiled shyly at her and Daisy couldn’t help but smile back. If someone had hit _her_ with a car she wouldn’t be smiling at them anytime soon, but Daniel made a lot of interesting choices she would never make for herself - like LARPing as a knight for a job.

She left Daniel to the bathroom, and prayed that Miles had left behind enough clothing that there wouldn’t be a naked knight in her guest house until he got his memory back.

\---

There were a great many things about the future Daniel had not anticipated.

 _Showers_ were one of them.

He had intended upon simply drawing himself a bath, but upon finding out there was another contraption in Lady Daisy’s bath chamber, he had taken it upon himself to figure out what it was. Summoning the bathwater had been quite a trial on its own, but when he had figured that out, getting the second contraption to turn on had been quite simple.

Daniel enjoyed showers. It was like getting to take a bath, except he didn’t have to sit in his own filth. Certainly he was a bit leery of slipping, especially since his leg had already proven once that day it wasn’t as steady as he liked to think it was, but remaining upright was much easier than having to heave himself out of a bath if his leg locked up.

Removing his armor and undergarments had made Daniel aware of just how damp everything had gotten trudging through the snow - though he supposed falling outside hadn’t helped him overmuch, either. Standing under the streams of water and finding them scalding had been a pleasant surprise, especially once he had discovered he could adjust the temperature to be hot without burning his skin off. Warm baths in the winter were a luxury Daniel did not often indulge in, but the future continued to be full of surprises.

He stepped out of the shower and found a fluffy towel waiting for him. Another strange thing about the future: everything was eerily soft. Daniel did not ever think his clothing was uncomfortable (in fact, he rather enjoyed it and found its texture comforting), but the fabrics of the future were… different. The plush towel against his skin was just another foreign sensation Daniel was getting used to.

He wrapped the towel low around his hips and ventured out of the bath chamber, hoping he could find the clothing Lady Daisy said she was searching for. He did not wish to inconvenience her any further on his account, not when she had already offered him a place to stay and an abundance of kindness.

When he ventured out of the bathroom, Daniel found not a pile of clothes Lady Daisy had left for him, but the woman herself. She made a high-pitched noise when she saw him and nearly dropped the clothes she was holding, and Daniel halted. Had he done something wrong?

“It looks like the only things Miles left behind were Christmas sweaters and sweatpants, so I hope you like being comfy.” Daisy was studying the wall behind him instead of at him. “And I brought two of Dad’s old canes, if you wanted to try them out,” she continued, setting the clothes down on the seats and gesturing to the two walking sticks leaning against the sofa. “I’ll get out of your hair, but I found the TV remote, if you want to watch any before bed.” She held up a third black object, shiny and black and barely bigger than Daniel’s palm. That was certainly something he would have to investigate after he was properly attired.

“Thank you,” Daniel said, because he felt like he hadn’t been saying it nearly enough.

“It’s no problem, dude. If you need anything you just let me know, but otherwise I’ll get out of your hair.” Daisy smiled at him before retreating back out the front door.

Daniel got changed in short order - one of the sweaters Daisy had brought had prancing horses on it, reminding Daniel terribly of Jack, who hopefully had made it out of the forest before nightfall - and hesitated before also grabbing one of the walking sticks. The physicians in Queen Margaret’s court had offered him a crutch, but it was old and splintered and didn’t at all befit him. The canes from Daisy’s father looked like they would be safe to hold and perhaps even ease some of his pain. Daniel had gotten so used to being told to muddle through - _a real knight would do anything for his queen_ \- that he hadn’t thought about what life would be like if not constantly plagued by pains in his leg. And granted, the walking stick would not fix every ailment, but it would be… better.

He practiced taking a few strides across the living space. The cane felt awkward in his grip and it was difficult to time his steps precisely, but Daniel was hopeful he could learn.

Just like he was hopeful he could learn how to use the _remote_ Daisy had spoken of. Daniel settled himself on the sofa and took the remote in his hand, squinting at the buttons on it. He began pressing a few, but none seemed to do anything - until he hit the button labeled ‘power’ and the lightbox across the room sprang to life, glowing blue.

Daniel leaned back, hand grasping for the amulet he had left at the table on the end of the sofa in case it was trying to spirit him away again, but this blue light didn’t reach out to engulf him - instead, it morphed into a moving picture. A moving picture with _sound_.

“ _Happy birthday!_ ” A man made of snow crowed from the television.

“I am sorry, kind sir, but it is not my birthday!”

The snowman did not appear to hear him, instead only speaking to the other characters on the screen. Fascinating.

Perhaps, Daniel thought, his quest was to discover the mysteries of the television. It would be the most peculiar quest ever set forth for a knight, but Daniel was proud to consider himself peculiar, as well; at least the quest would match him.

The problem with televisions, Daniel would soon discover, is that even if he knew how to turn it off (the same power button which had turned it on), he did not want to.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 18th, 2019** _

“Good morning!”

Daisy hated morning people. She had really hoped when she became a teacher that her body would magically adjust to her schedule, but what got her up every morning was, sadly, not the joy of learning. It was coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

“Hi, Elena,” Daisy said, trudging back from her front door to let her friend in.

“Phil told me I should swing by to make sure you hadn’t been murdered in the middle of the night.”

“I was not,” Daisy said. As far as she knew Daniel hadn’t even tried to contact her, let alone skewer her with his sword.

“I can tell,” Elena said with a wry smile.

“Where’s Flint?”

“He and Tess are taking advantage of their freedom and doing some sledding on the hills by the school.”

“Inseparable as always,” Daisy commented as she shuffled into the kitchen and began brewing her coffee. Thank goodness for coffee machines - she barely had the mental capacity to hold a conversation, let alone try to make her own macchiato.

“Mack says it reminds him of you two.”

Daisy snorted. She and Mack hadn’t gotten into _nearly_ as much trouble as Flint and Tess did - those kids were exhausting with their ability to find crazy things to do. Again, Daisy wasn’t sure they were entirely human, especially since they’d somehow managed not to get hurt yet.

“I’ll note your disagreement,” Elena said.

“I just think he and I remember high school differently.”

“Same way you remember college differently?”

“I _don’t_ remember college.” Sleep deprivation, caffeine dependency, stress, and _maybe_ a little too much alcohol had come together to make sure the only things Daisy remembered about her schooling experience were her string of bad boyfriends, half of the material from her classes, and her ride-or-die best friend: Mack.

“Since you’re alive and I have a boutique to open, I’m going to run,” Elena said. She pecked Daisy on the cheek before breezing out and leaving Daisy to her morning coffee, alone. When Elena said _run_ , she really meant it; that woman had more energy than the Energizer Bunny, and she didn’t need any coffee to do it, either.

Maybe that was where Flint had gotten his inhuman-ness from. Nevermind that Elena wasn’t biologically related to him - some things could be passed down in different ways.

When Daisy had finished sucking down her cup of coffee, she decided it was probably time to make sure Daniel hadn’t trashed her guest house.

She changed out of her pajamas and threw on her heaviest coat for the trudge through the snow. The door was unlocked when she tried it, and Daisy stepped into the entrance to the sound of a Christmas carol. She stomped her shoes on the welcome mat before going any further, but when she did, she found Daniel sitting on the couch, transfixed.

“Good morning,” Daisy said loudly, since the door opening didn’t seem to have registered with him. Daniel jumped, checking over his shoulder before relaxing.

“Good morning, Lady Daisy!”

“Just Daisy is really fine for me,” she said. Daisy didn’t often feel like a lady. Maybe that would change if she got to dress up in fancy clothes every night for her job. Not that Daisy minded her students; she really did love her job. It was just really, _really_ hard to feel lady-like when you had to listen to high schoolers making fart jokes for eight hours in a row.

“Just Daisy, then,” Daniel agreed. “Your tel-o-vision is quite remarkable.”

“Television,” Daisy corrected his pronunciation. “And it’s pretty cool, I guess. This one isn’t even that big.” If Daniel was impressed by a twenty-four inch flatscreen, she wondered what he would think when plopped in an IMAX theatre. That would be a fun experiment. 

“I have spent the night learning about this time!” Daniel said enthusiastically. “It’s lit, dawg.”

Daisy cringed. “Please never say _dawg_ again. That’s from like, ten years ago.”

“Noted.” Daniel grinned.

“Do you want to grab breakfast?” Daisy asked. “There’s a diner across town that’s to die for.”

“Will we get to take your steed - sorry, _car_ \- there?” Daniel perked up noticeably at the thought of a car ride, and Daisy couldn’t help the fond smile on her face. He was sort of like a puppy, now that she was thinking about it - the big brown eyes, the relentless enthusiasm, the cuteness.

Not that she was thinking about how Daniel was cute. That would just be weird until he got his memories back. What if he had a girlfriend? Or worse, a wife?

“Yeah, I’ll drive. Wouldn’t want either of us slipping on the ice again.”

“Excellent!” Daniel rose from his chair and grabbed one of the canes resting against the sofa. Daisy tried not to be pleased that he had taken it; she was a little worried that he would insist he didn’t need the cane like his dad had when he’d first gotten sick. Daisy didn’t know enough about the fourteenth century to figure out whether or not being a knight then came with a healthy helping of machismo, but either Daniel was above that sort of thinking or she seriously needed to reconsider her preconceptions of the middle ages.

“Let’s get going, then. Unless you need to get changed?” 

“Every sweater is as good as the next,” Daniel answered, tugging the sleeves down on the one he was wearing. Daisy tried not to let the bitterness rise in her throat; Miles had _hated_ the sweater with the horses. Something about it not being Christmassy enough. Or maybe too Christmassy? 

Not like it mattered - Daisy didn’t care about Miles’s opinion anymore.

The sweater looked better on Daniel either way.

\---

The diner Daisy took him to, May’s Diner, was strange and unusual - though Daniel had thought the same of every place in the future he had seen, so perhaps it wasn’t strange at all.

“May’s hot chocolate is to die for,” Daisy said as she sat them at a table by the window. Daniel liked having a view of the main street; everything looked so different here and taking it all in was enjoyable even if it was overwhelming. This _felt_ like a quest, like something new and different and exciting, even if Daniel still wasn’t sure what exactly he was doing. (Discovering how to work the television had not, in fact, been his quest - though it had been quite an enjoyable endeavor.)

“I should hope no one has to die to make it,” Daniel said.

“No, I meant -” Daisy looked up from the piece of paper in her hand to see him smiling at her teasingly. Watching a great deal of television had been useful even if it hadn’t been his quest. Daniel _was_ a little disappointed Daisy had forbade him from saying _dawg_ , though.

“What sounds good to you?” Daisy asked, gesturing down to the paper in front of Daniel.

“What is a… hamburger?” Daniel enjoyed a thick slice of ham, but he had never heard of a _burger_ before.

“I’ll explain later,” Daisy said after a long pause. Daniel took that to mean _I don’t know how to explain it now_. “You want to be looking at the breakfast section, though,” she said, pointing to the top of the menu.

“French toast?” Daniel sneered. Queen Margaret and her court had been fighting against the French for the last seven years, and the war did not look to be over soon. His disdain for the French was, Daniel thought, well-founded.

“Dude, that’s racist.” Daisy furrowed her brow. “Ethnocentric? I don’t know, but please don’t go stabbing the next French person you see.”

“A knight does not begin conflicts for the sake of conflict,” Daniel muttered under his breath. He only fought because Queen Margaret asked him to, and it was necessary to keep his people safe.

“I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” Daisy spoke as if she was quoting something, and Daniel cocked his head to the side in askance. “It’s Tolkien. My dad loved that guy.”

“Tolkien,” Daniel repeated slowly.

“Yeah. He fought in…” Daisy paused, considering. “Am I allowed to tell you stuff about history? That seems weird if you’re from, you know, the past.”

Daniel ran his thumb over the edge of the amulet in his pocket, allowing it to warm under his touch. Would his knowledge of the future change him when he returned to his own time? Was that, perhaps, the very point of his quest? He didn’t know. “Perhaps it’s best if you don’t,” he said eventually. Until he could figure out more about why he was here, he didn’t want to accidentally put his world in peril when he returned.

“Well, either way, French toast isn’t actually French. And it’s really good.”

“I will try it, then,” Daniel said, putting his menu down. As if by magic, a woman appeared at the foot of their table. Daniel startled when he looked at her - she looked familiar with her long, dark hair and mysterious almost-smile. Was this…? No, she couldn’t possibly be. Why would she have a diner in the future if she had _magic_?

“Just so you know, Miles just came in,” the woman told Daisy.

Daisy groaned. “Great. Just great.”

“Miles?” Daniel asked.

“He’s the ex whose sweater you’re wearing,” Daisy sighed. “Mel, can I get a pancake platter, eggs sunny-side up and sausage on the side? Daniel will have the French toast with a side of bacon. Oh, and two hot chocolates, please.”

“You got it,” the woman, Melinda, said. “And try not to start a fight in my diner, please?”

“I don’t begin conflict for the sake of conflict,” Daisy said, darting a glance across the table at Daniel, smirking. He smiled back at her, oddly unperturbed by the teasing. The other knights in the court sometimes mocked him for his relative slowness, his failure at his quest, and his general nature - that was, not prone to braggerliness - but Daisy’s teasing was different. She was kind, for one thing, and her jibe was meant to poke fun at herself, not at him. And she was _smiling_ , which was a courtesy Daniel was not often afforded. People looked away when he walked past more often than not, unsure of how to react to his limp and the knowledge it had come from trying to protect them.

“It’s not for the sake of conflict if he has wronged you,” Daniel said gently.

“It’s fine, really.” Daisy turned around in her seat, and Daniel followed the line of her gaze until he saw a tall man with dark hair and a dark beard, a laughing woman on his arm.

“That would be the woman he left me for,” Daisy said when she turned back to Daniel and found him still staring. 

“Do I need to defend your honor?” 

Daisy scoffed. “No thanks, dude. Better just to leave him and it in the past.”

“Do you wish I had been left in the past?” Daniel asked, frowning.

“What -? No, Daniel. It’s not your fault you came from the past,” Daisy said. Mel came back and set their hot chocolates in front of them. Daniel eyed it dubiously, but then he recognized the scent of it - this was the same liquid that had been spilled on him when he had first come to this time. 

“Leaving something in the past just means that you don’t let old things get to you. You know, keep moving forward and all that jazz.” Daisy took a deep swig of her drink and Daniel copied her.

It tasted _amazing_.

That was just the first of the awe-inspiring tastes to grace Daniel’s tongue, though. The French toast Daisy had insisted he tried was just as sweet and melted on his tongue like a cloud of butter and sugar, and the bacon beside it was better than any other meat Daniel had ever had the pleasure of tasting. His mother’s venison stew remained one of his happiest memories from his youth, but it was nothing compared to the bacon at May’s Diner.

Daniel almost didn’t care if their waitress was the woman who had sent him into the future. Not if she gave him hot chocolate and bacon. 

\---

Daisy had taught Daniel new modern slang on the way home from May’s: _food coma_. He certainly looked like he needed a nap, as much as he insisted otherwise. 

“Why should I nap when there are still other things to do?” Daniel insisted as they rolled up to her house and stepped out of the car. Daniel was using the cane she had given him like an extension of his own body now, and Daisy couldn’t help but be pleased that he seemed to have taken to it so easily; he seemed to be moving better and more quickly now that he had something to assist him.

“Maybe because you spent all night watching Christmas movies?” she suggested.

“Ah! But I have yet to watch many more!” Daniel said. “I saw a - _commercial_ -” he spoke the word like it was strange on his tongue, but Daisy nodded encouragingly to show him he had used it right, “- for a movie about a reindeer. We have reindeer where I’m from!”

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?” Daisy guessed. “That was my favorite movie when I was a kid.”

“Then we should watch it together!”

 _Like a puppy_ , Daisy thought again, hiding a smile as they made their way around back to the guest house. _A really stinking cute puppy._ “Sure, why not?” She had been planning on putting up some decorations today, but it wasn’t like decorating was a time-sensitive thing. The only thing that was time-sensitive was planning the town’s Christmas feast, and Phil was doing most of the planning this year.

Besides, Daisy liked spending time with Daniel, even if he sometimes confused or exasperated her. His entire schtick at the diner had been cute if a little weird, and it was a good distraction from Miles and his girlfriend. May had been shooting her subtle glances the whole time she was serving them, and Daisy had to admit she didn’t exactly mind it. She’d had worse rebounds than guys who had amnesia. Which was kind of sad, but it was life. 

Still didn’t mean she was going to go for it, at least not when Daniel was still without his memory and vulnerable. That would be weird, right? Right, it would be.

“Sure,” Daisy agreed. “And then maybe I can show you the Hallmark channel.”

“What is a _channel_?”

Maybe spending all night watching television had helped somewhat, but Daniel was still clueless. At least he was asking questions and not pretending he knew everything; Daisy couldn’t stand know-it-alls, which sometimes made her job hard. High schoolers were not good at admitting when they were clueless, ever.

Daisy launched into a long-winded explanation of channels while she and Daniel got ready for their movie day.

When they were cozy on the couch, a blanket draped across their lap and a bowl of popcorn between them, Daisy turned on the television and found the channel that was playing Rudolph. The movie had just started, adn Daisy relaxed as the familiar voice of Sam the Snowman filled her ears.

“Why was this your favorite movie when you were young?” Daniel asked when the first commercial came on.

“I think it’s just the first Christmas movie I remember watching, ever,” Daisy admitted. “My dad was a really big Christmas guy. He _loved_ Christmas, said it was the best day ever.” The corner of Daisy’s mouth pulled up into a sad smile. “Second best day, actually. He said the day I was born was the best day ever.” Her dad had always been the enthusiastic type, a sharp counterpoint to her normally stoic mother. Growing up with them hadn’t always been easy, but they had been good parents, and of course Daisy missed them now that they were gone - probably more than she was willing to admit to herself, given how heavy her heart felt now.

“And he is gone now?” Daniel asked softly.

“Yeah. He and Mom both died last year. I didn’t celebrate Christmas at all because it just felt wrong without them.” Daisy shrugged. “This year’s been better, though. A lot better.” Having Mack, Elena, and Flint around definitely helped stave off the worst of her woes, and oddly, breaking up with Miles had helped too. He wasn’t a super emotional guy, and it had sucked to be grieving next to someone who didn’t really seem to care how she was feeling. Being alone was better than being with someone who didn’t care about her, Daisy had discovered pretty quickly. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Daniel said. He reached for Daisy’s hand and she let him. She hadn’t known hand-holding was a thing in the 1300s. Maybe that’s what Daniel had learned during his Christmas movie binge - how to hold hands at opportune moments.

“It’s okay. Like I said, this year is better.” Daisy forced her smile wider. “It’s easier to watch Christmas movies with someone else, too. Watching them alone would just be depressing.”

Daniel nodded thoughtfully in response, and they both turned their attention to the television when Rudolph returned. They continued chatting idly throughout the movie, sometimes talking over it when they got too involved in the conversation to stop when the commercials ended. Neither of them moved when the movie ended and the next one began, and Daisy found herself moving closer to Daniel as the movies wore on - partially because the house was a little drafty, partially because sharing popcorn was easier that way, and partially just because she liked being close to him. He was warm in more ways than one; his body, yes, but he had a warmth to his voice and his heart, too, with the way he managed to ask all the right questions about her family. He made her open up without even realizing that’s what he was doing, and without ever pushing harder than she was willing to go. Daisy could understand why he made a good knight; he was a good _man_ first.

About halfway through their fifth movie, Daisy’s eyes began to droop. Normally this was the time when she’d drink another cup of coffee to power through the afternoon slump, but she didn’t want to get up and ruin their movie streak. Daniel wouldn’t notice if she took a little nap, would he?

No, Daisy decided, he definitely wouldn’t.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 20th, 2019** _

Daniel hated to admit it had been a full twenty-four hours since he had thought at all about what his quest in this new time may be; he had been preoccupied with watching Christmas movies with Daisy, and now he was helping her decorate her home. As much as he hated to admit it, Daniel didn’t believe that spreading Christmas cheer was to be his new quest. He was not Buddy the Elf.

Still, decorating with Daisy was more fun to pass the time than worrying about a quest he had no clues towards. She had an abundance of stories about her life, each one just as interesting as the last. Her father was a veterinarian, her mother a doctor, and that alone had led to endless stories of their various exploits - including one about a very persistent goat that had left Daniel in stitches. Daisy had asked after his family, but Daniel didn’t have nearly as many stories; his father had died when he was young and his mother was a baker. Daniel being selected to be a page for a knight had been a miracle for his mother, a way to finally have extra spending money and not worry about being able to put meat on the table, and that was his greatest achievement. Some days, it didn’t matter that he had failed in his quest to become a true knight, because he had given his mother a good life until the day she had left him.

He offered a story about the first time he had ridden his horse, Jack, and Daisy had been curious about his horsemanship skills. Apparently there were not very many horses in Kringle, Wisconsin, so Daniel had promised to one day find one he could teach her how to ride. He had then proceeded to ask her what a _Wisconsin_ was, which had made Daisy laugh nearly hard enough to fall off the ladder.

Daniel had started waiting until Daisy was not on ladders to ask his silly questions.

“Alright,” Daisy said when she stepped down, the last garland wrapped around the banister of the main stairwell. “All that we have left to do is the tree. I’ll go grab it from downstairs.”

“You keep trees in your cellar?” Daniel asked, confused. There were a great many things about the future he had yet to understand, but even with all the technology he had seen, he didn’t think people from the future were capable of growing trees underground.

“Oh, it’s just a plastic one. We started using it when Dad started having problems with his lungs. The pine scent irritated his cough,” Daisy explained. “I just haven’t had time to get a real one, you know?”

“Do we not have time now?” Daniel asked, cocking his head. Perhaps the place where the trees were harvested were a long trek away - though Daniel didn’t believe so, since there was a great deal of forest in Kringle, and Daisy’s steed made even the longest of distances melt away beneath their feet. 

“I guess we do,” Daisy said. She grinned, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. “Wanna go cut down a tree, sir knight?”

“If you wish, milady.” Daniel gave her a sweeping formal bow. He knew she would laugh before he’d even started bowing, but that didn’t make his heart swell any less when her giggles filled the room.

“I have to warn you, I’m very picky about my Christmas tree,” Daisy asid as she grabbed her keys off the table and beckoned him to the front door. “So we might be there for a while.”

“Nonsense!” Daniel declared. “You can never spend too much time on something important.” Even if they hadn’t already spent the better part of the morning decorating for Christmas, Daniel would have been able to tell Christmas was important to Daisy. It obviously came with many happy memories of her family, especially her father, and Daniel wanted to honor that in the best way he could. If that meant spending a long time looking for a tree, then so be it.

As expected, the ride to the Christmas tree farm was not long. Daisy’s face lit up when she saw the sign, and Daniel knew he had made the right choice in asking her to get a real tree. She looked so _happy_ , and she deserved that much.

“Hey, Mike!” Daisy greeted the man at the entrance to the farm. “I hope there are still some good ones left.”

“There are plenty!” The man grinned. “Besides, Ace would kill me if I didn't help Ms. Johnson find the perfect tree.”

“I was wondering if I could borrow an axe? I can’t find Dad’s old one and I figured you might have some extras.”

“No problem, Daisy.” The man materialized an axe seemingly out of nowhere and handed it to Daisy, who then passed it to Daniel. He accepted it without complaint, nodding to the man at the entrance of the farm before following Daisy into the rows of trees.

“That’s Mike Peterson. His son, Ace, was in my intro computer science class last year,” Daisy explained as they began perusing the trees. “You might want to talk to him sometime. He also uses a cane sometimes - got in a car accident when he was younger - and he might have some ideas about one that would fit you better.”

“I rather like this one,” Daniel said. Not only did he like the cane for its connection to Daisy, but it also felt… natural. The one thing about the future he was not sure he liked was the abundance of metal and tile and plaster everywhere; he much preferred the comforting warmth of wood and dirt. Daisy called him old-fashioned when he’d mentioned something similar to her, but she’d said it fondly, so Daniel didn’t think it was an insult.

“What do you think of this one?” Daisy asked, stopping in front of one of the trees.

“Is it not a bit… small?” The top of the tree only barely came up to Daisy’s chest, which seemed incongruous with the amount she loved Christmas. 

“Alright then, Mr. Size Matters, show me a tree you like,” Daisy challenged.

“I will when I find one,” Daniel answered evenly. He continued strolling through the rows of trees, eyes peeled for one that was larger, but not _too_ large. The axe swung merrily at his side, waiting for him to find the perfect tree to fell.

“This one,” Daniel said, halting. The tree was a few inches taller than him and had long, full branches all the perfect shade of rich, dark green.

Daisy let out a whistle. “Okay, I see you. Yeah, this one looks perfect.”

Daniel handed Daisy his cane so he could take the axe in both his hands. She didn’t hesitate to take it from him, and Daniel’s shoulders relaxed slightly. He appreciated that Daisy cared about his health, but he _loathed_ when people tried to tell him what he could or couldn’t do. He knew his own limits better than anyone else did. 

He spread his legs so he had a solid base, and with one mighty swing chopped through the stump of the pine tree. It slumped to the side and Daniel straightened with a smile.

Daisy let out a long, low whistle as she traded his cane for the axe. “Damn. I didn’t know that was possible anywhere except for movies.”

“Neither did I!” Daniel turned to see a stranger staring at the fallen tree. He looked to Daisy, but she didn’t seem to know the man either.

“Give it a try, hon!” The man’s companion encouraged him. Daniel was honestly curious to see how this went, and he grinned broadly when the man, apparently emboldened by Daniel’s own success, chopped down the tree in one strike. His companion tugged him in for a kiss, which was one Daniel averted his eyes. 

“Just for the record, I’m not giving you a kiss,” Daisy teased as she began dragging the tree towards the entrance of the farm.

“A shame,” Daniel said with a put-upon sigh. He hadn’t considered that Daisy would have ever wanted to kiss him, let alone for a simple task like cutting down a tree, but his stomach clenched at the thought. Daniel had no idea _why_ the comment continued to stick in his head even as Daisy paid for the tree and Mike Peterson helped attach it to the top of her steed, but it did.

How peculiar.

\---

“Alright, that’s the last box. Thanks, Flint.” Daisy offered her unofficial nephew a fist bump when he set down the last box of Christmas tree ornaments at her feet. When she had mentioned to Elena that she and Daniel had actually gone out and gotten a real Christmas tree, Elena had insisted that she and Flint come over to help decorate. It had always been a family tradition for Daisy, and so it felt right that her new family was helping her now that her parents were gone.

“I have brought the hot chocolates!” Daniel said proudly, coming into the room holding a mug in each hand. He didn’t use his cane for short distances in the house, Daisy had discovered, and he also preferred not to use it when he was carrying things for long distances. “I will return again soon with more!” Daniel announced jovially after he had given a mug to Flint and the other to Elena. 

Teaching him to use a microwave might’ve been a mistake - Daisy was pretty sure she was going to run out of hot chocolate mix before Christmas at this rate. At least Phil had asked her to get some things for the grocery store for the town feast, so she’d be able to get more mix then.

“He seems to be doing better,” Elena commented as Flint began rummaging through the box of ornaments.

“He is,” Daisy agreed. “Still no memory, though.”

“Really?”

“I’m beginning to think…” Daisy sighed, looking down at her feet. “Is it crazy that I believe he might actually be a knight from the fourteenth century?” She had never entirely ruled out the possibility, but she hadn’t seriously considered it before, either. The more time she spent with Daniel, though, the more real his story seemed. He knew more than an actor would have to know to play the part of a knight in the Christmas carnival; he knew the names of a few dozen other knights, would tell her stories about what it was like as a page and then a squire, and his stories about his mother… Daisy didn’t know much about amnesia or acting, but she was pretty sure no one would be able to conjure such detailed images of their mother’s hands if they weren’t real memories.

Elena chuckled. “Just a little bit.”

“I would just think that by now he would’ve remembered something if there was anything to remember,” Daisy said.

“I’m not disagreeing with that,” Elena said as she sipped her hot cocoa. “But there has to be another explanation, doesn’t there?”

“Do you believe in Christmas magic?” Daisy asked softly, glancing over at Flint. He was still happily hanging Christmas ornaments, either uninterested with or unbothered by the conversation going on a few feet away.

“You think Daniel was brought here by Christmas magic?” Elena half-said, half-shouted.

“Hush,” Daisy hissed. She didn’t want Daniel to know she was talking about him behind his back. “And yeah. I mean, if time travel exists… is it just coincidence he showed up a week before Christmas?”

“ _If_ time travel exists, it probably doesn’t matter when he shows up!” Elena argued. “And that’s a really big _if_ , Dais!”

“I don’t know.” Daisy glanced over her shoulder. Daniel was probably almost done with the second batch of hot chocolates and she didn’t want him to hear what she had to say next. “It just feels like he’s here for a reason, you know? He says he has a quest to do, but…”

“And what do you think that reason is?” Elena asked dubiously. Apparently some of Mack’s skepticism was rubbing off on her.

Daisy shrugged unhappily. She kind of thought the reason he was there might be for her, but that felt dumb to think and would be even dumber to say. The world wasn’t exactly kind to her, and it seemed strange that it would bend the laws of time and space just for her to have a really cute knight to kiss.

Not that she was kissing him. Or thinking about kissing him. It was just a comment, and had nothing to do with how she had woken up covered in a blanket after drifting off during their movie day together.

“For you!” Daniel breezed into the room, totally unaware of the subtle tension between Daisy and Elena. 

She accepted the mug he pressed into her hands with a smile. “Thanks, Daniel.”

“Anything for you,” he said, smiling back at her. 

The three adults joined Flint in decorating the tree, and the whole time Daisy was hyperaware of Daniel’s presence at her side. 

Daniel lifted Flint up so he could place the star at the top of the tree, and something solid settled in Daisy’s chest. It felt right to have him here with her, as a part of her family. Maybe part of the reason she wanted to believe he had come here by magic and not by amnesia was because that meant he could stay here, too. He wouldn’t have to leave her to go back to some other, perfect life.

It would be nice to have someone stay.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 21st, 2019** _

Daniel and Daisy were once again at May’s Diner, eating the most delicious food Daniel had ever tasted. Daisy had convinced him to try something other than French toast, as much as Daniel had wanted to eat nothing but that for the rest of his days. A cinnamon bun was a good alternate choice, though - it was equally sweet as the toast, but had a sticky icing on top and, of course, the delightful spice of cinnamon. In the time Daniel had come from, cinnamon was a spice he could rarely indulge in. Funnily enough, only their Christmas sweets had any cinnamon in them at all. It was strange, to see the abundance of the future and how cinnamon could be added to a breakfast pastry that was sold by the dozen.

“So,” Daisy said as she cut through one of her sausage links. “Did you get any hints as to when you might be taken back to the past?”

“None,” Daniel answered, stuffing another bite of cinnamon bun in his mouth. Daisy laughed and Daniel had a feeling it had something to do with the icing dripping down his chin. Before he could reach for his own napkin, Daisy was reaching for hers. She leaned across the table and swiped up the rivulet of icing before it could drip off his chin. Daniel finished chewing before giving her a grateful smile. “Though I suspect when I finish my quest I will be transported back.”

“And your quest is…?”

“If only I knew,” Daniel sighed. With each new thing he learned about the future he was certain he had found his new quest - only to discover it wasn’t quest-worthy at all. “It wasn’t nearly so hard the first time.”

“The first time?” Daisy asked. “You’ve been transported through time before?”

“I’ve had a quest before,” Daniel corrected. “But I was not able to finish it.”

Daisy frowned. “What happened?”

Daniel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He did not often like to think about what had happened to halt his quest; it was one of his darkest days and looking back on it brought more pain than it was worth. But Daisy had asked, and she had shared her most horrible moments with him - it was only fair for him to reciprocate.

“I was in the forest with a group of other knights; we were tracking deer so that I would have enough food with me when I set out to fetch what I was asked to.” Daniel cleared his throat, finding the words stuck unpleasantly even as he tried to continue his story. “A bear was apparently tracking that same deer, and it was not pleased to have its meal taken by humans.” He took another steeling breath, closing his eyes against the rush of the memory. “I fell from my horse and the bear attempted to attack me.”

Daniel swallowed hard. “I do not remember much of what happened afterwards, but when I woke up in the castle I was told I was the only one who survived the attack. Jack, my horse… he was likely what saved my life.” Jack was not a spookish horse - he was brave and sometimes too headstrong for his own good, but it was his stubbornness that had saved Daniel’s life.

“That’s how you hurt your leg,” Daisy guessed.

“It is.” Daniel opened his eyes, surprised to find her staring back at him. She had no pity in her gaze, just the same steadfast compassion she’d been showing him since the moment they’d met. “And also the reason I will never be a true knight.”

Daisy pulled a face. “Well as far as I’m concerned, you’re a true knight. Flint is still talking about how you taught him to use a sword when he came over for Christmas tree decorating.” The corners of her mouth turned up just slightly, and Daniel could tell that Elena was _also_ still talking about Daniel teaching Flint how to use a sword, just for a very different reason. 

“Thank you,” Daniel said softly. He wanted to insist that it did not matter what Daisy thought - Queen Margaret was the one who declared knights true of heart and admit them into her inner circle - but her opinion had become quite precious to him, and he didn’t want her to think he scorned it. 

“So is this your second chance or something?” Daisy asked. “If you go back after this quest is done, will you get to be a true knight?”

Daniel hadn’t considered that possibility; no knight had ever been offered a second quest and he did not see why he should be any different. Queen Margaret had declared his quest over after the bear had attacked, not wanting to lose any more lives in the pursuit of something ultimately frivolous. The rumors of the stones in the forest were worth exploring, but not at the cost of a half-dozen lives.

“I do not think so. Queen Margaret was not the one who set this quest, and I do not know what she gains by me completing it.” Perhaps since they had grown more lax in Daniel learning details about the future he could bring back something of worth to Queen Margaret, but he doubted it. Daniel did not understand _how_ most of the modern marvels worked, only that they did; he did not have a mind for science. 

“That’s lame,” Daisy said. “If you’re going to get tossed around in time you should at least get something out of it.”

“I will tell the woman in the wood you said so, if I ever meet her again,” Daniel answered with a smile.

“You two all done?” Mel asked, gesturing towards their now-empty plates.

“Yes, thank you,” Daniel said, handing his dishes over to her. The more Daniel looked at Mel, the more certain he grew that she was the woman from the woods - not that he was going to tell Daisy that. If Mel recognized him, she certainly didn’t give any sign of it; perhaps it was her however-many-greats-grandmother who had sent Daniel back? 

He continued pondering the question even as he and Daisy chatted back and forth about this and that. Daniel was glad the conversation had moved from his leg and his quest; he didn’t like to think about it for long, and remembering the day the bear attacked just made him miss Jack more achingly. It felt silly to miss a horse more than any of his human companions, but Jack had saved his life; all the other knights just scorned him.

“You two have a merry Christmas,” Mel said when she returned with the check. (Daisy had explained credit cards to Daniel the day previous - they were fascinating, as was the reason everyone still called things _checks_ even if there was no check involved.)

“You too, Mel!” Daisy said cheerfully. Daniel gathered up his coat and cane and made to follow Daisy out the door. A hand on his arm stopped him, and he turned to see Mel with her eyes fixed on him.

“Will you have a merry Christmas, Daniel?” Mel’s eyes sparked blue and green for just long enough that Daniel was sure it wasn’t a trick of the light, the amulet in his pocket growing warm against his skin. 

“I should hope so, milady,” Daniel answered. He removed her hand from his arm and turned back to something far more important than a quest: Daisy.

\---

“Okay.” Daisy’s breath fogged up the wintry air. “We’re supposed to get dumped with snow in the next few days, which means today is the last day for decorating, and everything needs to be super secure so it doesn’t blow away.” The forecast was’t calling for high winds, but Daisy had learned to prepare for the worst when it came to winter in Wisconsin. The one time she hadn’t thought to secure her outdoor decorations, her favorite candy cane had ended up three neighborhoods over.

“I am ever at your service, milady,” Daniel said, winking.

Winking was something new Daniel had picked up, and Daisy dug it. The more mannerisms from the future Daniel had the more she could forget he was a bona fide fourteenth-century knight, and the more she could imagine -

Well, the more fun she had spending time with him. He was still quirky, and Daisy doubted he would ever get rid of all of his old-fashioned mannerisms, but when he wasn’t calling her car her steed or peering in wonder at light switches, he was… normal. The kind of guy Daisy had been looking for for a long time, who listened to what she said and liked spending time with her family and was actually able to talk about how he felt.

Daisy was still thinking about what he had told her in the diner and second-guessing her reaction to it. Daniel hadn’t seemed offended when she’d asked more questions about his quest, but he hadn’t seemed happy, either.

Then again, Daisy wasn’t sure anyone could be happy after being mauled by a bear, so there was that.

Either way, she wanted him to know that she was safe for him to talk to, and that she wouldn’t judge him for the things he judged himself for. She just didn’t know how to express that without it being terrifyingly awkward, so Daisy kept her mouth shut.

“Well -” Daisy stopped speaking before she even started when she saw who was walking up her drive.

Raina. 

She had been a friend of Daisy’s father, though Daisy could never exactly figure out _why_ her dad had liked Raina so much. She was often condescending, rude even more often than that, and passive aggressive on top. Raina had mostly stayed away since Daisy’s dad had died, only dropping by to offer back-handed compliments on the flowers Daisy had tried growing the past spring and the occasional threat to report Daisy to the HOA for some violation or another.

“Raina,” Daisy greeted curly, moving to cut Raina off before she got to Daniel. She didn’t move fast enough, though, and Raina rested her hand on the crook of Daniel’s elbow, smiling sweetly up at him.

“Who’s this, Daisy?”

“This is Daniel. He’s a friend.”

“I haven’t seen him around before,” Raina said. It was clearly a leading question, one Daisy didn’t want to answer but probably had to.

“He’s new to town,” she answered. “What do you need?”

“I was going to ask for your help on something, but it looks like Daniel might actually be better suited,” Raina simpered. “I get quite lonely, you know, and I wanted some… company.”

That was _definitely_ not why Raina had come up the drive in the first place, but Daisy knew better than to try to call her out on it. Daisy pressed her lips together in a thin line. She wasn’t going to speak for Daniel - if he wanted to keep Raina _company_ he was more than welcome to.

(The jury was still out on whether or not Daniel had the plague. Daisy had read an article once that basically every medieval person had syphilis, so there was that to consider, too.)

“I am sorry, Raina,” Daniel’s mouth bent strangely around her name, which made sense if he had never heard it before, “but Daisy and I are actually quite busy today. Perhaps I could be of assistance some other time?”

“Perhaps,” Raina answered. She ran her hand up Daniel’s arm before stepping away from him, peering up through her long lashes. “Daisy has my number, if you ever need to reach me.”

Then Raina was gone as quickly as she’d come, practically disappearing into the snow-lined streets.

“If you want to go spend time with her, I’m sure I can get this done on my own,” Daisy said lamely when Daniel turned back to her. Even if the idea of Daniel keeping Raina company (or _company_ ) gave her the heebie jeebies, she wasn’t going to make Daniel do something he didn’t want to do. He didn’t owe her anything just because she was letting him crash in her guest house, and Daisy thought she’d made that clear, but… better safe than sorry.

“Nonsense,” Daniel answered, closing the distance between them. “You obviously do not enjoy spending time with Raina, and I don’t want to spend time with someone who you don’t like.” He paused, and Daisy _must_ have been imagining the pinkness rising in his cheeks. “I trust your judgement more than my own when it comes to people of the future, and I… I would much rather spend this time with you, anyways.”

Daisy hoped her own cheeks weren’t turning bright red, because they definitely _felt_ warm, with the earnest way Daniel was looking at her and the sincerity in his voice. Her heart stumbled in her chest and Daisy took a deep breath to get it beating right again.

“Cool, because we actually have a _lot_ to do today, if you’re up for it.” Daisy said. With the news of the coming snow, she wanted to get to the grocery store and grab everything for the town’s feast sooner rather than later.

First, though: securing her favorite candy cane.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 22nd, 2019** _

The supermarket was a magical place.

Daniel could think of no other explanation for how there could be so much food in one building at one time - it simply had to be magic. (He knew, logically, it wasn’t; he had experienced real magic and none of it was like this. Still, he wished he had more time to marvel at all the foods instead of making sure Daisy didn’t go insane flitting from aisle to aisle.

He understood why she was stressed, though. She had let him look at her grocery list and it was… long. Very long. She just wanted to make sure she got everything she needed, especially since the snow she had mentioned yesterday was going to bear down on Kringle at any moment. 

Daniel had tried to help, he really had, but the supermarket was different from the market places he was used to, and he got the feeling he was just getting in Daisy’s way. Instead he chose to stroll through the aisles at his own pace, though he made sure to stay close enough to Daisy that he could hear her calling from the nearby aisles.

Like she was doing now.

“Yes?” Daniel asked when he rounded the corner into Daisy’s aisle.

“Do you think more people like crunchy peanut butter, or smooth?”

“What is… peanut butter?” he asked with a frown.

He expected Daisy to sigh exasperatedly - it was certainly what most people would do when their question was answered with another irrelevant question - but instead she smiled at him fondly. 

“Right, you have no idea what people’s food opinions are. I should’ve remembered that.” Daisy took both of the jars she had been holding and put them into the cart. “I’m sorry this is taking so long, I really didn’t mean to make you just wait around.”

Daniel cocked his head to the side in confusion. She was sorry to make him wait? He was the reason they weren’t going any faster, with his inability to find what they needed in the vastness of the store and his limp. Though Daisy had never minded the limp; when they had still been walking together at the beginning of the journey she had happily kept her pace slower to match his.

“It is fine. I am sorry I am not able to be of more assistance.”

“Daniel, seriously. You’re doing me a big favor just by being here.” Daisy ran a hand through her hair, and Daniel couldn’t decide if that made her look more or less frazzled. “Grocery shopping is a lot more fun when you’re not alone, you know?”

Daniel didn’t know, since his visits to the market were often done unaccompanied, but he nodded along anyways.

“We only have to grab bread rolls and then we should be done,” Daisy said, checking through her list again. “We’ll keep most of the stuff at the house and on Christmas Eve Phil will come over to help us move it to the town hall for the feast, okay?”

Daniel nodded his understanding before following Daisy down one last aisle.

“Ms. Johnson!” A girl with brunette hair and brown eyes bounced up to Daisy.

“Hi, Jemma,” Daisy greeted. “Daniel, do you see that blue bag? That’s the rolls. Grab five or six, okay?”

Daniel nodded and left Daisy to her conversation with Jemma. When he approached the bags Daisy had pointed out, though, he frowned. The pale white things did not look like bread at all, and when he reached to pick the bag up, the roll he was holding onto collapsed entirely under his firm grip. No baker’s son could possibly pass that abomination off as bread, let alone serve it at a Christmas feast!

He marched back to Daisy just in time to hear her bid Jemma goodbye.

“Did you get lost on your way to the rolls?” Daisy asked, gesturing to his empty hands.

“I will be making dinner rolls for you,” Daniel declared. “Those are not suitable for a feast.”

Daisy gave him a long look, and Daniel wondered if this was going to be what made her decide he wasn’t worth keeping around. Instead another smile bloomed on her face as she shook her head. “Okay, if you want to bake six dozen rolls from scratch, I’m not going to stop you. I don’t have nearly enough flour though, so I totally lied about this being our last stop.”

Daniel didn’t care that they had to walk all the way across the store to buy flour and yeast for the rolls; he wasn’t going to disappoint Daisy with colorless, flavorless, structureless dinner rolls.

He was going to make her proud.

(Daniel was going to make his mother proud, too - a thought that hadn’t crossed his mind since he’d failed his quest all those years ago.)

\---

Maybe agreeing to let Daniel make all the dinner rolls for the town’s feast had been a bad idea, but it wasn’t like they had anything better to do. Just minutes after they’d arrived home from the store snow had begun to fall, and Daisy felt vindicated when the wind began to blow, too; all the trouble they’d gone through the day before to secure her outdoor decorations was going to be worthwhile.

“So, what now,” Daisy asked when Daniel finished making the dough. He split it in half with ease, and Daisy _definitely_ wasn’t looking at the way his forearms flexed, definitely not. Daniel had had to roll up the sleeves of his sweater to keep it from getting ruined with the flour and water, and it was strange to remember that she hadn’t even seen the man’s forearms before - except for the one time she had walked in on him shirtless the first night he stayed with her.

Which she wasn’t going to think about, not now.

“We knead,” Daniel said, throwing half the dough to her. Daisy managed to catch the ball, which felt like a crisis nearly averted. If they’d dropped half of Daniel’s dough, things would’ve gotten messy in more ways than one.

Daniel began kneading the dough, pushing it with the heels of his hands before pulling it back and turning the whole lump. Daisy watched him for a few cycles before attempting the same on her own dough. Her parents were more of the slice-and-bake type cookie-makers, not the family recipe from scratch type. She had no idea how to knead, and it showed.

“Uh, Daniel? A little help?” she asked when five minutes had passed and her dough still looked the same sticky, shaggy pile as it had when she started.

“You need to be more aggressive with it,” Daniel instructed, walking around to her side of the counter.

 _Woah_ , was he standing close to her, his body heat radiating out as he stood behind her back and wrapped his arms around. Daisy barely had a moment to brace before Daniel’s hands closed around hers, callused and strong. He guided her through the motions of kneading, and Daisy found he was right - the pressure he was applying to her hands was much stronger than what she was using before, and it helped her move through the dough easily instead of making it all stick to her hands. When he pulled back he was just as firm, not easing up just because he was pulling towards them instead of away.

“Do you understand now?” Daniel asked, his breath warm in her ear.

“Yeah,” Daisy said, praying her voice didn’t shake.

“Good.” Daniel stepped away from her, and Daisy knew she wasn’t imagining how he lingered in her space before taking another step towards his own dough.

Daisy reached out to grab his hand before he could go too far. The dough on both their palms made them stick together, and Daisy used that extra half-second of time to examine how she was feeling. A miniature version of the storm howling outside was settled in the pit of her stomach, her emotions skipping around like snow flurries. She’d only known Daniel for a few days and yet her feelings for him were… strong. Strong enough they almost scared her, especially knowing how things could end. Neither of them were sure if he was going back to the past or not, and it seemed wrong to ask anything of him before they knew that.

But if she waited until she was certain, Daisy knew she would never move at all. Certainty was just an illusion, after all. Her life had been tipped upside down before and it would probably be tipped upside down again, so why not just… jump?

Daisy used her grip on Daniel’s hand to pull him back into her, careful not to unbalance him. She stood there with him, chest to chest, and waited for him to protest, or ask what she was doing, but for the first time they seemed to be on exactly the same page. His eyes were soft and searching like he was looking for signs of hesitations, too, but he wouldn’t find any. Daisy knew what she wanted.

She took one last breath before tipping her chin back in silent invitation. Daniel leaned forward, and then -

Daisy’s phone rang. The loud noise in the otherwise quiet room was enough to shock her back a step, and her fingers slipped out of Daniel’s. 

Great. Awesome. Fantastic. Daisy just _loved_ to have her romantic moments ruined by phone calls.

She shook her head as she checked the caller ID. if this call was going to interrupt her moment it better be damn important. Elena. At least it wasn’t a spam call - if it had been, Daisy would’ve had yet another reason to hate telemarketers.

“Hey,” Daisy said, picking up the phone. Hopefully she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt, because then Elena would have questions - questions Daisy wasn’t sure she was prepared to answer. Daisy was about to ask if she could call Elena back later, but before she could, Elena spoke.

“Flint’s missing.” 

Daisy’s blood ran cold as she looked at the snow squalling outside. It was obviously below freezing, and the wind and the snow weren’t making it any warmer. How long had Flint been gone? Was he wearing a coat? A hat? The gloves he hated?

“Missing?” she repeated numbly, all of the questions she wanted to ask dying as worry made her tongue sit heavy in her mouth. She took a deep breath, trying to think through the static in her brain. The most important thing right now was that someone was with Elena - and that someone found Flint.

“We’ll be right over,” Daisy said, hanging up the phone.

“Daisy?” Daniel asked, concern lacing his voice.

“We have to go to Elena’s. Flint is missing,” she said shortly. Her mind was already halfway out the door, and her body needed to catch up to it.

Romantic moments could wait - she had to find her godson.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 22nd, 2019** _

“Oh, thank God you’re here!” Elena rushed out of the house and swept Daisy up into a hug. Daniel kept his distance, scanning the horizon for any sign of Flint. The snow had let up somewhat in the short drive from Daisy’s house to Elena’s, but it was still no weather for a child to be out alone.

“Where did you last see him?” Daniel asked.

“He and Tess were playing in the backyard together. I told them to stay close while I went in to make them some cocoa, but when I came back out -” A short, distressed noise worked its way up Elena’s throat, and Daisy ran a soothing hand up and down her arm. Daniel couldn’t imagine what sort of distress Elena must be in; _he_ was upset and he had only known the lad a few days.

“I’m going to go around back,” Daniel told the pair, already beginning his trek around the back. His cane was much less useful in the slick surface of the snow, but Daniel managed nonetheless, occasionally stopping to make sure he had his balance right. He didn’t want to distract from the mission of finding Flint because he had to be taken to the hospital.

Elena’s backyard abutted a forest, and Daniel’s stomach sank into his toes. When he was young, he and his friends had spent many an afternoon exploring the forests around Norwich. If Flint and his friend had the same wanderlust…

“Wait up!” Daisy called. She ran to catch up with him. “Phil just came. He’s staying with Elena while the rest of the area,” she panted. “What are you doing?”

Daniel pointed to the forest and let Daisy reach her own conclusions.

“Are you serious? Elena’s always telling Flint not to go in there.”

Daniel shrugged, walking closer to the treeline. “He is a young man, and young men are often foolish.”

“Yeah, but I always thought Tess had enough sense for both of them.” Daisy sighed. “Guess not, though.”

They ventured into the trees, and Daniel kept his eyes sharp; tracking a person was no different than tracking an animal, really. He just needed to look for any signs that Flint and his friend had been this way.

“Does Flint wear red gloves?” Daniel asked.

“Did you find one?” Daisy sounded even more worried than before, and Daniel reached a hand out to pat her shoulder consolingly.

“Not a glove. But I believe this may have come from one of his garments.” The spot of red fuzz had been stark against the snow. Daniel’s first instinct had been that it was blood, and he had never been happier to be proved wrong.

Daisy took the piece of lint from him, worrying it between her fingers. “It could be, yeah,” she said finally.

They continued moving deeper into the forest, and along the way Daniel continued to find signs that Flint and his friend had been going the same way - a pile of leaves that had been trodden through, drag marks of fingers through the snow on branches, and a few more pieces of the same red fuzz he had first found.

“They might have gone to the pond,” Daisy suggested after they had been walking for a while. “It’s easier to get to from Tess’s house, and they’ve been waiting for it to freeze over for ages so they could go ice skating.”

Daniel let Daisy take the lead, and it was only a minute or so later when they heard a shrill voice.

“Help!”

“That’s Tess,” Daisy said, breaking out into a run. Daniel followed behind her as quickly as he could manage, stopping only when the trees gave way to the smooth banks of a pond. An unfamiliar girl - Tess, Daniel surmised - was standing there, looking wide-eyed out to the center of the pond, where Flint was standing.

“Ms. Johnson!” Tess sounded relieved to see the adults appear from the woods. “We just wanted to see if the pond was ready for skating yet, but then the ice started cracking and we didn’t know what to do!”

“It’s okay, Tess,” Daisy said, wrapping her arm around the little girl. “We can -”

The sound of splintering ice interrupted her, and Daniel turned to see Flint taking a cautious step towards the shore.

“Stop moving!” Daniel commanded. Flint was not overly large, but the ice was transparent and had large bubbles in it. It wasn’t strong enough to hold Flint’s weight, not if he continued in the way he was.

Daniel handed his cane to Daisy and limped the edge of the pond. “Flint! Have you seen Frosty the Snowman!?”

“Uh, yeah?” Flint said.

“Remember when they go sledding with Frosty?” Daniel asked. “And slide around on their stomachs?” It had been one of Daniel’s favorite parts of the movie, if only because he had never seen such a sled before; the sleighs and carriages from his time all required horses to get around. He was lucky that particularly part of the movie had stuck so strongly in his head, though - it was useful now.

Flint nodded.

“I need you to do that now, alright? Get down on your stomach and slide towards me, slowly!” Daniel knelt down and demonstrated for Flint, sliding on his stomach and spreading his arms out wide. Sliding back to shore was safer than walking there because the lad’s body weight would be spread across a larger surface, and would be much less likely to crack the ice.

Flint did as he was told, slowly scooting across the ice. Daniel wanted to turn around to reassure Tess and Daisy that everything was going to be alright, but his attention couldn’t waver from the task at hand. If the ice started to crack again, he would only have a few seconds to think of what to do before Flint was sent plunging into freezing water.

Luckily for them, that never came to pass. As soon as Flint was close enough Daniel grasped his forearms and dragged him the rest of the way across the ice, culminating in one final heave that sent Flint and Daniel both tumbling back onto the shore.

“Th-thanks, D-Daniel,” Flint said, teeth chattering. There was snow caught in his hair and on his eyelashes; standing in the middle of a frozen pond hadn’t provided much by way of shelter from the wind and snow.

“It is simply my duty,” Daniel said, pulling off his coat so he could wrap it tightly around Flint’s shoulders. A knight’s duty was to protect those who needed protecting and save those who needed saving. He would have rescued Flint if he had been a stranger - but the victory was all the sweeter when Daniel turned around and saw Daisy beaming back at him.

\---

“Looks like your knight saved the day,” Phil said, sticking his hands into the pockets of his coat.

Daisy shrugged her shoulders, glancing over to where Flint and Daniel were sitting by the fire. Phil had just finished taking statements from both of them for his official report.

“It doesn’t look like he’s going to get his memory back at this point, huh?” Phill prodded, obviously looking for more than just a shrug on the subject of Daniel.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Daisy agreed. She wasn’t going to tell Phil that she didn’t think there was any memory _to_ get back anymore. Daniel wasn’t a delusional amnesiac; he was a time traveler from a distant past who just so happened to be plopped into their lives just when they needed him most. “It might be a good thing, though. I mean, he was the one who knew where to go to find Flint.” Daisy had only thought about the pond and Flint and Tess’s obsession with it when Daniel had already led her halfway through the forest. Who knew what would’ve happened if he hadn’t gotten her on the right path, or what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been there to help Flint get back to shore safely. Daisy definitely didn’t know how to stage an ice rescue, which felt like an oversight on her part now that she thought about it.

“It’s a good thing if he doesn’t have his memory?” Phil asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I mean… I wouldn’t mind if he stuck around.” 

Phil’s blue eyes twinkled in understanding. “Ah. Well, tell him good work from me, in case he forgets that, too.” Phil shoved his black fuzzy cap back onto his head before ducking out the door, no doubt going to file his report and then return right to planning for the town’s feast. There were only two more days until the feast - which meant two more days until Christmas Eve. Daisy couldn’t believe how quickly the past week had flown by.

“Flint!” Elena called. “Your bath is ready!”

Flint sprang up from his place in front of the fire, shucking off his outer layers in a few swift movements. Daisy offered him a high-five before he ran up the stairs to his warm bath. Phil had insisted it probably wasn’t necessary to stave off hypothermia, but Elena had always been a little overprotective when it came to Flint, and Daisy wasn’t going to tell her not to be after the scare she’d just had.

Daisy wandered over to the fireplace and took the seat Flint had just abandoned.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, staring into the crackling fire. 

“For what?”

“For being here. Rescuing him. Everything.” She shrugged.

“I do not need thanks,” Daniel said, offering her his hand, palm up. Daisy wound their fingers together and squeezed gently.

“Well, you’re getting it anyways.” Daisy wished she was better at words - better at saying all that this meant to her. Mack and Elena and Flint were her family, the only family she had left now. Daniel had saved her family, just like he had spent the last week saving Christmas by making her watch Christmas movies and cut down a real tree and hang up Christmas decorations everywhere. 

“Do you think maybe saving Flint was your quest?” she asked after a long bout of silence.

“I do not think so.” Daisy glanced over at Daniel, only to see him already looking back at her. “A quest tests a knight’s greatest weaknesses, and pushes him to be a better man than he was before. Forgive me if I sound conceited, but I do not think that kindness was ever a virtue I lacked.”

“No,” Daisy agreed, squeezing his hand again. “No, it definitely wasn’t.” Daniel went into everything with an open heart, which Daisy couldn’t understand given what she could cobble together of his past. It didn’t seem like many people had been kind to him after his accident, and yet he insisted on giving away the kindness he had never received. Being a savior wasn’t new to Daniel. 

“I think, whatever my quest is, it will finish by Christmas Day,” Daniel said. “I fear I am running out of time.”

“It doesn’t seem fair to give you a time limit when you don’t even know what you’re supposed to be doing.” Daisy was mostly just talking so she could ignore the tiny seed of dread in the pit of her stomach that grew every time she thought about him leaving.

“No, it does not.” Daniel gave her a sad smile. “But I think we have both learned that the world is rarely fair. It is merely our duty to make it better, even if we cannot make it equal.”

“Yeah.” Daisy looked down at their joined hands. “Will you be disappointed? If you can’t finish your quest and go back?”

“I… do not know,” Daniel answered quietly. “There are some things here I should miss, if I have to leave.”

“Yeah?” Daisy asked, looking up again. Suddenly the tension that sat between them in the kitchen was back, even heavier than before. 

“Yes.” Daniel took a deep breath, leaned in, and -

“I’m home!”

Oh, come _on_. Interrupted again? This was just more proof the universe hated her just a little.

“Mack!” Daisy said, jumping up from her place on the sofa and hoping the hug she gave Mack was tight enough to distract from how her voice had cracked on his name. “You’re back!” Elena hadn’t mentioned him getting home early - Daisy hadn’t expected to see him until Christmas Eve.

“Yeah. I managed to catch the last flight before the snowstorm grounded everything,” Mack told her. He looked over her shoulder to see Daniel standing by the sofa.

“Uh, who’s that?”

Daisy pulled back from Mack, grimacing slightly. “Oh, man, do you have a lot to catch up on.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it, this is the second update for the day! Read chapter 8 if you haven't already. :)

_**Kringle, Wisconsin - December 24th, 2019** _

Daniel was… confused.

Confused about his quest, yes, because there was less than twenty-four hours until Christmas, but more confused about everything else.

Twice he had come close to kissing Daisy, and twice something had come between them. Twice she had jumped away from him. Was she embarrassed that she should want to kiss him? It certainly seemed that way now, since she hadn’t mentioned either incident in the days since. Granted, they were busy with the preparations for the town’s feast, but it wasn’t like a conversation to declare their affections would take long, would it? In the Hallmark movies he and Daisy watched together in the evenings, the leading man and lady said they loved each other and kissed and it took only a moment out of their day. 

Daisy had told him those movies weren’t at all realistic, though. Daniel puffed out a sigh as he brought another tray of rolls into the town hall. Phil nodded at him as they passed, and Daniel set the rolls down next to the other dishes he and Daisy had spent the past two evenings making.

Phil had been the one to drive him to the town hall; Daisy had insisted she needed to change into something more suitable for the occasion. Daniel was only spared from having to wear finery by virtue of not owning any. While Miles had been more than happy to leave behind a plethora of Christmas sweaters, a three-piece suit was not something he had abandoned.

Daniel was wearing one of the nicer sweaters, though; it was a deep emerald green and didn’t have any gaudy pattern (though Daniel had become more fond of those strange patterns than he would admit). Daisy had also given him a razor to shave the stubble on his cheeks, and commented that he cleaned up nicely.

He would take her word for it.

“I think that’s it,” Mack said as he ducked back into the hall. “Thanks for your help, man.”

“Of course.” Daniel resisted the urge to bow; he had gotten better about remembering what was appropriate for his new time and place, but without Daisy there, Daniel felt… strange. Off-balance. He shook his head to clear any cobwebs from it; Daisy would be there soon, and they could enjoy their last hours together.

Maybe she would tell him what she was thinking and how she was feeling; Daniel certainly wouldn’t object. If she didn’t, though, that would be alright.

“Hey, sorry it took me so long.” Daisy breezed through the door, and Daniel’s jaw dropped.

He had always thought Daisy was beautiful, with her dark hair and expressive brown eyes and the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. He had never seen her like this, though, and she was… _radiant_. The rich red of her dress brought out the subtle highlights in her hair, and her matching red lipstick made Daniel regret even more he had never gotten to kiss those lips. Even though the shoes she was wearing easily added two inches to her height she still walked with the same confidence and grace she did barefoot.

“You okay?” Daisy asked when she reached him. “You look a little lost, there.”

“Um,” Daniel said, the epitome of eloquence. “Yes, I’m alright, thank you.” Daisy didn’t seem to realize _she_ was the cause of his speechlessness, and Daniel didn’t know if that was a blessing or a curse.

“You left something at the house,” Daisy said, producing something from the red bag she was holding onto. She handed him the amulet, and Daniel suppressed a sigh. He had spent the week carrying it around, and other than the time it had warmed in Mel’s presence, the thing had remained dead and lifeless. He wasn’t sure if it would even activate again, since he was almost certain to fail his quest, but regardless he didn’t want the damned thing.

“Thank you,” he said instead of voicing his thoughts to Daisy. He fastened the clasp around his neck and let the pendant hang heavy against his chest, tucking it under the collar of the sweater.

“People are going to start arriving in fifteen minutes,” Daisy informed him. “Until then, we can do whatever we want.”

“What do you want?” Daniel asked. He’d meant to ask what she wanted to _do_ , but his tongue had gone all strange and heavy in his mouth. He wanted to know what she _wanted_ , too. Specifically, he wanted to know if she wanted him. Daniel knew better than to force his affections upon a lady who had no use of them, and he didn’t particularly want to suffer a third rejection at Daisy’s hands.

She shrugged. “I’ve already done everything I wanted to do this Christmas, and then some. So it’s really up to you.”

Daniel forced a smile on his face. “I just want to spend time with you.” If this was to be his last night in the future, he wanted to spend it with the woman who had made it all worthwhile.

“Good, because I don’t think Phil wants to babysit you all night, and Mack and Elena are going to be too busy trying to find every bit of mistletoe in this place to watch over you.”

“They are going to be kissing?” Daniel asked. Daisy insisted it was a Christmas tradition, though Daniel had told her that it definitely wasn’t a tradition in _his_ time the first time it had come up in one of their many Hallmark movies.

“Mack’s been gone for a long time. He’s probably going to have to leave again after the New Year, so they’re making the best of the time they’ve got.”

“Making the best of the time they’ve got,” Daniel repeated dimly. Wasn’t that what he ought to be doing with Daisy, instead of spending his last hours with her worrying about how she felt about him? Even if she didn’t return his feelings, she was still a dear friend, and he didn’t want his last memories of her to be colored with moping - or with looking for Melinda, who hadn’t yet made an appearance despite apparently being integral to his quest, somehow. 

“Why don’t we get some hot chocolate to start?” Daniel asked. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that hot chocolate made everything better.

\---

“It looks like everyone’s headed home,” Daisy said with a sigh as she walked back into the town hall. She’d just waved off Phil and told him to get some rest before his Christmas morning stint as Santa Claus, which meant it was just her and Daniel alone to clean up the rest of the mess in the hall.

The mess wasn’t much, actually. People had been conscientious about disposing of their trash (it must have been the Christmas spirit possessing them, because Daisy _knew_ her students were not normally this clean) and most of the debris was just from fallen decorations. It was nothing a broom couldn’t fix - not like three years ago when there had been a glitter explosion that had taken the better part of the next week to clean up.

“And you and I?” Daniel asked. “Are we going home?”

“Well,” Daisy said, wishing desperately she had pockets she could stick her hands into to hide her nervousness. That was the one bad thing about this dress - no pockets. “Have you figured out your quest?” 

Daniel’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“I mean, that’s how you go home, right? Figuring out what you were supposed to do here?”

“I did not mean home like that,” Daniel said quietly. “I meant… I meant home with you.”

Daisy’s heart flipped in her chest. When Daniel hadn’t made a move after their second almost-kiss she had figured he had decided against pursuing anything with her, which was fair. If he was going back to the past, he had every right not to start a romance in the future. Even if it was a romance with her, and she _really_ wanted him to start it.

“I…. I’m glad that the house feels like home to you,” she said finally, not wanting to get her hopes up too far. 

“It is not the house, Daisy,” Daniel said. He took a hesitant step towards her and Daisy mirrored him, closing the distance between them. “It’s you. You feel like home to me.”

“Daniel, I -”

“Please let me finish,” Daniel interrupted. He paused and Daisy nodded. She would let him say what he had to say - and hopefully that left space for her to say some things of her own.

“I’ve been thinking, tonight, about my quest. I told you before that a quest is meant to test a knight’s greatest weakness, and I was never sure what mine was. But I was thinking, tonight, about my life. And I realized I have never, ever let somebody else in. Even before the accident I kept people at arm’s length, and after - after, I just had an excuse to do the same thing. I was kind, but I was not _open_ , and that was my greatest flaw.” Daniel cleared his throat, and he seemed… nervous. Which might be a good thing, but also might not be - Daisy couldn’t tell. “I had never let anyone in before, and I think - I think I did that because I couldn’t let myself in. I couldn’t ever be proud of myself, and it only got worse after the accident and failing my quest.”

Tears were shining in Daniel’s eyes. Daisy hesitated for just a moment before reaching for Daniel’s face, cradling his cheek in the palm of her hand. Daniel’s hand reached up to wrap around hers, but he didn’t pull her hand away - instead he held it closer, his warmth leaching into her skin as he leaned into her touch.

“And then I met you. And you… you showed me so many new, brilliant things. But you also showed me that I am someone who is worth being proud of.” He cleared his throat again, and the sound was thicker as his voice grew more choked. “You didn’t even do it on _purpose_ and I think that is the most brilliant part about you, Daisy Johnson. You make people better just by being around them. You are kind and you say what you mean and fun to be around. You do anything and everything for the people you love and people see that and want to do the same. You run into walls and then instead of staying on the ground, you stand up.”

Daniel pressed the palm of his hand into the back of hers. “I still believe that the universe is not fair. I do not know if I believe that the universe is kind. But I believe in you, Daisy, and I want to be there to help you stand up.”

Daisy’s eyes stung, but she felt like she was paralyzed, unable to wipe away the tears she was sure were trickling down her face. “But…” She wanted to ask _why_ , but Daniel had just told her why - listed out the reasons he loved her like it was easy. 

“I just wanted you to know,” Daniel whispered. “I don’t need you to feel the same, but I -”

“I do. Feel the same, I mean,” Daisy said. “I like you a lot, Daniel. I - I’m glad you’re here.” She swallowed hard against the wave of emotions threatening to drown her and trying to find the words to say everything she meant. She wondered how long Daniel had been working on that speech for. If he made it up on the fly, it really wasn’t fair. Someone shouldn’t be allowed to be kind and handsome _and_ a good speaker.

“I wasn’t sure, after…”

“After we almost kiss?” Daisy asked, watery chuckle escaping. “Yeah, me either. I thought…”

“Yeah.” Daniel let out a huffy laugh of his own. “But I would like to actually kiss you, if you are amenable.”

God, he was such a _dork_. But he was a dork she really, really liked, and she wasn’t going to say no to kissing him. It wasn’t difficult, either, not with all the practice almost-kissing they got. Daisy just had to step a little closer, make sure she didn’t jostle Daniel’s cane, and tip her face up to him. He did the rest of the work, his warm lips meeting hers.

Somewhere in the distance a clock began to chime. It was midnight on Christmas, and Daisy was kissing Daniel. That felt right - like a fitting beginning for the man who had brought Christmas magic back into her life. The amulet around Daniel’s chest began to glow turquoise, but the light faded quickly when Daniel pressed another kiss to her lips, this one even deeper and more certain than the last.

“So, just to be clear,” Daisy asked breathlessly when she drew away, “you’re _not_ going back to the past?”

“No,” Daniel said, leaning his forehead against hers. He grabbed the pendant around his neck and jerked it, snapping the chain in one easy movement before tossing the necklace to the floor. “I’m right where I need to be.”

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, Lisa! It was such a pleasure getting to be your Secret Santa this year, and as you can tell, I got a little carried away with writing your gift - oops?
> 
> A fun side note: this fic marks my 200th AoS fic posted to Ao3! I hope it brings everyone reading it as much love and joy as writing for this fandom has brought to me for the last three years. :)


End file.
